National Conference on ‘NDPS Act’ at MNLU, Nagpur

About the Conference

The Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act, 1985 (NDPS Act) has served as the principal legislative framework governing narcotic drugs and psychotropic substances in India for nearly four decades.

Over the years, the enforcement and interpretation of the Act have given rise to several complex legal and institutional issues relating to criminal procedure, evidentiary standards, bail jurisprudence, sentencing principles, and the broader constitutional balance between stringent narcotics control and the protection of personal liberty and due process.

In view of these evolving developments, the Conference aims to provide a serious academic and policy platform for examining the jurisprudential evolution of the NDPS regime and the contemporary challenges associated with narcotics regulation in India.

The deliberations will bring together members of the judiciary, legal scholars, academicians, practitioners, law enforcement officials, public policy experts, and researchers to engage in meaningful dialogue on the legal, constitutional, and institutional dimensions of narcotics control.

The Conference will be conducted over two days and will feature plenary sessions and technical paper presentations, facilitating discussion on both doctrinal and practical aspects of NDPS law. As part of the Conference, original and unpublished research papers are invited from academicians, researchers, legal practitioners, policy experts, and students.

Submissions may adopt doctrinal, comparative, theoretical, empirical, or interdisciplinary approaches addressing the issues surrounding narcotics law and criminal justice administration in India. Selected authors will have the opportunity to present their papers during the technical sessions of the Conference.

Publication Details

The Conference invites original, unpublished, and full-length scholarly papers (4000–8000 words) on the NDPS Act, 1985, with particular emphasis on emerging jurisprudential developments, contemporary challenges in narcotics control, criminal justice administration, and policy frameworks aligned with the vision of a Drug-Free India by 2047.

Submissions may include doctrinal, theoretical, comparative, empirical, and interdisciplinary research, and may
address, inter alia, the conference themes and sub-themes.

Researchers, academicians, legal professionals, policymakers, and students intending to participate are required to submit an abstract clearly indicating the proposed title, research problem, objectives, methodology, and relevance to the conference theme. Selected submissions shall be presented by the authors during the Technical Sessions of the Conference in hybrid mode.

Selected papers, subject to peer review and editorial scrutiny, will be considered for publication in a Special Issue of the Contemporary Law Review.

Themes and Sub-Themes

• CRIMINAL PROCEEDINGS UNDER THE NDPS ACT, 1985, PROCEDURAL SAFEGUARDS, EFFECTIVE PROSECUTION AND DEFENCE STRATEGIES
  • Evolving judicial interpretation and procedural compliance governing investigation;
  • Legal implications and evidentiary standards concerning prosecution and statutory presumptions;
  • Bail jurisprudence, judicial discretion and concerns surrounding prolonged undertrial detention;
  • Procedural safeguards, fair trial and protection against false implication;
  • Legal implications and procedural lapses in sentencing and conviction.
• LAW ENFORCEMENT RESPONSES FOR COMBATING NARCOTICS TRAFFICKING, ILLICIT FINANCIAL FLOWS, AND CROSS-BORDER DRUG NETWORKS
  • Narcotics trafficking as a driver of illicit financial systems and money laundering;
  • Cross-border narcotics control, international cooperation, intelligence sharing and multilateral enforcement mechanisms;
  • Role of Narcotics Control Bureau, Enforcement Directorate, Border Guarding Forces and the Indian Coast Guard in dismantling organised trafficking networks;
  • Maritime and border interdiction strategies for preventing transnational drug smuggling;
  • Digital narcotics networks, dark web trafficking and technology-enabled drug distribution.
• REHABILITATION & DE-ADDICTION AS A LEGAL AND SOCIO-INSTITUTIONAL RESPONSE TO DRUG DEPENDENCE AND SOCIAL REINTEGRATION
  • Scope, objectives and implementation challenges of rehabilitation and de-addiction measures under the NDPS Act, 1985;
  • Regulatory and administrative gaps in ensuring uniform standards of care, monitoring and accountability of de-addiction and rehabilitation centers;
  • Implementation challenges in India relating to the availability, affordability and accessibility of de-addiction and rehabilitation services;
  • Balancing punitive enforcement with rehabilitation-oriented interventions through integration of criminal justice and public health approaches;
  • Socio-legal concerns of drug addiction and rehabilitition among vulnerable groups.
• CONTEMPORARY CHALLENGES IN REGULATION, ACCOUNTABILITY AND IMPLEMENTATION OF NDPS ACT, 1985
  • Role of print, broadcast, and digital media in glamorizing substance use, and influencing public scrutiny in enforcement;
  • Impact of media trial, investigative integrity, judicial approach, and narcotics policy discourse;
  • Comparative and policy assessment of India’s readiness to follow global shift towards limited legalisation or decriminalisation models;
  • Online availability of narcotics, its impact on youth and State’s responsibility;
  • Growing socio-cultural assimilation of narcotics use within educational and corporate ecosystems and the resulting enforcement challenges.

Abstract Guidelines

The abstract should not exceed 300-350 words and must be submitted on or before March 22, 2026

All abstracts must be accompanied by a Cover Letter containing the following details:

• Name of the Author(s)
• Theme and Sub-Theme(s)
• Email ID of the author(s)
• Contact Number of the author(s)
• Postal Address

Note: Co-Authorship is permitted to a maximum of Two (2) Authors. All Submissions must be the Author’s original and unpublished work, and should not be under process for publication in any other journal.

Paper Guidelines

The following Guidelines should be adhered to while submitting the paper:

• The word limit of the paper shall be 4000 to 8000 words (exclusive of footnotes)
• The font style of the paper should be Times New Roman with font size being 12 for the main text and 10 for the footnotes.
• The line spacing for the main text and footnotes should be 1.5 and 1 respectively (Endnotes are not permitted)
• Margins of 1 inch should be maintained on all four sides of the pages.
• Citation Style to be followed is MNLU Mode of Citation.
• The File name should be in the format given: Name of Author-Title of paper.
• A plagiarism declaration statement should be attached along with the full paper. (The permitted similarity index is 10%). The use of AI in writing is prohibited.
• The abstract and full paper have to be submitted in .doc/.docx format.

Note: The Link for submission of the Full Paper shall be shared once the abstract is accepted.

Awards

The following awards shall be conferred:

• Best Research Paper Award
• Second Best Research Paper Award
• Best Presenter Award
• Second Best Presenter Award

The criteria for ‘Best Paper’ includes adherence to all the rules related to formatting, payment of the requisite fee and the deadlines specified for submission. All selected presenters shall receive certificates of presentation, and award winners shall be recognised during the Valedictory session.

Registration Costs

• Students & Research Scholars
  • Single Authorship – Rs 700
  • Co-Authorship – Rs 1000
• Academicians and Professionals
  • Single Authorship – Rs 1200
  • Co-Authorship – Rs 1500
• Non-presenting participants – Rs 400

Deadline

The last date for submission of abstracts is 22 March 2026.

Registration Details

Abstract selection will be communicated via email. After the selection of the Abstract, participants are required to pay the registration fees (exclusive of accommodation charges) and upload the receipt to the registration form.

Fee payment for registration can be done through the link provided through email. The last date for payment of the registration fee is March 28, 2026.

Abstract can be submitted through the link given at the end of this post.

Contact Details

For further queries or clarifications, interested persons may reach out to:

• Conference Email: ncndps@nlunagpur.ac.in
• Dr. Trisha Mittal, Faculty Coordinator – trishamittal@nlunagpur.ac.in
• Naman Sharma, Student Coordinator – 9131793638, namansharma@nlunagpur.ac.in
• Nandini, Student Coordinator – 8619245868, nandini@nlunagpur.ac.in
• Alen Thomas Pallatu – 7306174983, alenpallattu@nlunagpur.ac.in

Click here to submit the Abstract.